The number of cigarette capsule users is increasing; however, a comprehensive epidemiological investigation comparing the harmfulness of capsule and non-capsule cigarettes, particularly concerning the composition of flavor components and mainstream smoke, is lacking. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of capsule burst on the compound composition of mainstream smoke by quantifying the Hoffmann list and flavor (geraniol, eugenol, menthofuran, and pulegone) in mainstream smoke with and without crushing the capsules. The findings indicate that while tar values tended to increase when the capsules were burst, there was no significant change observed in the other Hoffmann list components, such as nicotine, benzo[α]pyrene, tobacco-specific nitrosamines, aromatic amines, and phenolics. However, when the capsules burst, menthofuran and pulegone, which were present in the capsule and could cause toxicity, were found in the mainstream smoke via the International Standard Organization (1.5–4.0 μg/cig and 5.13–6.00 μg/cig smoking regime) and Health Canada Intense (12.8–18.2 μg/cig and 22.77–24.67 μg/cig smoking regime). Therefore, understanding the capsule composition is important, as the toxic components of the capsules can be inhaled as smoke, posing a potential health risk.

The fruit and pericarp of Zanthoxylum schinifolium (ZS) have been used in traditional medicine; however, few studies have characterized ZS fruit and pericarp. Therefore, in the present study, we evaluated the safety of ZS fruit (ZSF) and pericarp (ZSP) extracts and compared their bioactivity. To evaluate the safety of ZSF and ZSP, mutagenicity, cytotoxicity, and oxidative stress assays were performed and nontoxic concentration ranges were obtained. ZSP was found to be superior to ZSF in terms of its antimutagenic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory activities. In the S9 mix, the mutation inhibition rate of ZSP was close to 100% at concentrations exceeding 625 µg·plate⁻¹ for both the TA98 and TA100 strains. ZSP exhibited efficient DPPH (IC₅₀ = 75.6 ± 6.1 µg·mL⁻¹) and ABTS (IC₅₀ = 57.4 ± 6 µg·mL⁻¹) scavenging activities. ZSP inhibited the release of cytokines, involved in IL-1β (IC₅₀ = 134.4 ± 7.8), IL-6 (IC₅₀ = 262.8 ± 11.2), and TNF-α (IC₅₀ = 223.8 ± 5.8). These results indicate that ZSP contains a higher amount of biochemicals than ZSF, or that ZSP contains unique biochemicals. In conclusion, for certain physiological activities, the use of ZSP alone may be more beneficial than the combined use of ZSF and ZSP.